One robber died in a shoot-out with police in yet another a cash-in-transit heist along the R71 road near Tzaneen, Limpopo police said on Wednesday.
The G4 Security van was accosted by the armed men traveling in two cars on Tuesday evening.
''The suspects started firing at the tyres of the security vehicle and after it came to a halt, they ordered the three security officers out at gunpoint before blasting it with explosives. The suspects then fled the scene after taking an undisclosed amount of money,'' said police spokesman Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.
''The police were called and within minutes the vehicles were spotted. A car chase ensued along the Hoedspruit and Lydenburg roads. Members of a nearby Farm Watch joined and assisted in blocking the route.''
One of the vehicles with five people in it was cornered and a shoot-out ensued. One of the robbers was shot and killed and three, aged between 43 and 25, were arrested. The fifth managed to flee on foot.
Ngoepe said the three arrested and the deceased are from Burgersfort outside Tzaneen, Hazyview and Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga.
''The second vehicle was cornered next to Strydom tunnel and after a shoot-out with police, the suspects abandoned it and fled on foot. The police managed to arrest one of them, others are still being pursued. The arrested suspects are likely to be linked to other cash-in-transit heists committed in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.''
Police confiscated SAPS and army bullet proof vests, rifles including two AK47s, two bags of cash, two-way radios and the two vehicles, a Mercedes Benz and an Audi.
The robbers will appear in the Tzaneen Magistrate's Court soon.
- African News Agency (ANA
